By IHECHINYERE CHIGEMERI-UWOM

Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia said on Tuesday that two of his aides have tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Ikpeazu said this in a statement signed by him and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Umuahia.

“Leading this battle from the front as your Governor, I and all members of the first family subjected ourselves to COVID-19 tests on Saturday, 30th May 2020 and the results came out negative today.

“Unfortunately, results of two of my aides, who also subjected themselves to COVID-19 tests, were positive while others turned in negative results,” he said.

Ikpeazu said that those that tested positive were admitted to the state’s isolation facility and he was confident that they would be successfully nursed back to good health

Ikpeazu said that the government had plans to start massive testing exercise of the people to stop further spread of Coronavirus in Abia.

He said that “the new phase of the fight against COVID-19 in Abia will require the state to embark on massive test of citizens to achieve at least 10 per cent coverage of the population at the initial stage of the exercise.

“The state epidemiologist has been directed to work out modalities for case searches using sample population size of between 30 persons to 250 persons, in some densely populated local government areas of the state.”

He urged residents to desist from stigmatising the families of COVID-19 patients and persons that had recovered from the disease.

He added that collective responsibility was the best weapon against COVID-19 spread.

According to him, if any person contracts COVID-19, it will be saddening but it is neither criminal nor is it necessarily the person’s fault.

“Let me put it on record that statistics show that far more people recover from the virus than those who pass away from it,” he said.

He directed the transition committee Chairmen of the 17 local government councils in Abia, with their deputies, to present themselves for COVID-19 test and isolate themselves pending the release of their test results.

Ikpeazu urged the people of Abia to eschew rumour mongering and get involved in the battle against the disease by supporting the state government’s efforts against COVID-19. (NAN)

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